The top five drugmakers to keep an eye on this year, according to PMLiVe:
- AbbVie — The North Chicago-based drugmaker made one of the biggest deals of 2019, acquiring Allergan for $63 billion. Megamergers tend to come with integration challenges and internal disruption, and research cited by PMLiVE suggests only 40 percent to 60 percent of them accomplish their stated goals. The deal gave AbbVie the rights to Allergan's Botox and other top-selling beauty drugs. AbbVie is pushing for the deal to close quickly as it prepares to lose patent protection for its blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug, Humira, in 2023, PMLiVE, a U.K.-based pharmaceutical news publication, reported.
- AstraZeneca — The U.K. drugmaker's new drug launches could bring in $13 billion in revenue in the next five years, PMLiVE reported, led by cancer drugs Tagrisso, Lynparza and Imfinzi. Some analysts have predicted these drug launches, plus possible approval of its drug, Farxiga, for heart failure in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients, could allow AstraZeneca to have the highest revenue of any major drug company in 2020, according to PMLiVE.
- Bristol-Myers Squibb — The New York City-based drugmaker made one of the largest deals in pharmaceutical history in 2019, acquiring Celgene for $74 billion. PMLiVE predicted that Bristol-Myers will become the fourth-largest drugmaker by sales, boosted by its new Celgene drugs Revlimid and Pomalyst. Its best-selling cancer immunotherapy drug, Opdivo, is facing competition from Merck's Keytruda, so Bristol-Myers is relying on approval of several new immunotherapy drugs this year, according to PMLiVE.
- Daiichi Sankyo — In December, the Japanese drugmaker received approval of its breast cancer drug, Enhertu, which analysts expect to bring in as much as $12 billion in revenue, PMLiVE reported, a significant boost for the company that reported just under $9 billion in total sales last year. The drug also may get approved this year for use on other types of cancer, generating even more in sales for Daiichi.
- Johnson & Johnson — The New Jersey-based pharmaceutical giant is facing tens of thousands of lawsuits, ranging from claims its baby powder caused cancer in users to claims it contributed to the opioid crisis. Many of the claims are expected to be settled this year, PMLiVE reported, and if they reflect the settlements reached in 2019, J&J could lose billions of dollars. Just one lawsuit involving its drug Risperdal, cost the company $6.8 billion last year.